Int'l exhibitors eye further cooperation in China

A photo taken on November 8, 2022, shows the Light of Internet Expo venue in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province. (People's Daily Online/ Chen Luxun)

The 2022 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit is underway in the historical river town Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province, attracting 2,000 representatives from over 120 countries and regions. As significant participants of the WIC, foreign exhibitors eye further cooperation in China at the event and speak highly of China's favorable business environment.

“The WIC Wuzhen Summit provides a platform for foreign enterprises to showcase their latest products and develop communication with potential partners,” said Michel Haese, a German exhibitor who has returned to the WIC for a second time.

As a foreigner who has stayed in China for 11 years, Haese has witnessed China's development in the past decade and praised China's inclusiveness and openness.

"China's business environment is getting better and better," Haese told People’s Daily Online. "I would advise every young person with some dream to go to China where you can find every opportunity you need."

Alfonso Araujo, a Mexican exhibitor, displays his company's latest innovation at the Light of Internet Expo in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province, on November 10, 2022. (People's Daily Online/Wu Chaolan)

Many first-time exhibitors also shared their expectations and future ambitions at the conference. Alfonso Araujo, a Mexican exhibitor who runs a company focusing on technology and education, hopes to deepen cooperation with Chinese partners.

"China's digital technology has been exploding in the past decade. There are always new ideas and innovations," Araujo said. "Technology remained one of the top priorities in the Chinese government's agenda, and that's why we entered China."

"The Chinese market is attractive, and provides a lot of opportunities for foreign enterprises, especially in the technology field," Araujo said, noting that his company will enlarge the investment in the Chinese market, focusing on green technology.

Araujo acclaimed the opening-up policy as the "Wonder of China," noting that the policy has driven cooperation and exchanges between China and Mexico.

"China's consistency in opening up creates a favorable environment for foreign companies, which allows me to promote Mexico to China," Araujo said. "I am confident in the Chinese market, and I am willing to push the cooperation between two countries in the fields of technology," he added.

Ma Ke, an exhibitor from Germany's Business Development and Technology Transfer Corporation of Schleswig-Holstein, China office, shared the same view with Araujo. "China created an excellent business environment not just for German companies but all foreign companies," he said. He noted that China had developed mature and efficient support facilities for foreign companies to invest and cooperate in China.

"Despite the disruption brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, the cooperation between two countries is still booming due to the high degree of economic complementarity," Ma said.

"German companies are optimistic about China as they need the Chinese market, and they are looking for a long-term partnership in this country," Ma added.

The WIC Wuzhen Summit serves as a platform to showcase the latest trends in Internet technology development and cyberspace governance. The conference will conclude on Friday.